EIGHT TIPS FOR WEARING WHITE JEANS OVER 50

White jeans will always be in fashion. Remember when Jackie Kennedy wore white jeans with a black or a blue and white striped top? They were straight-legged and sat on her waist, and she looked like a million bucks. A couple of weeks ago I asked if you still wore jeans, and the overwhelming majority of you said you will never stop wearing jeans. I, too, love jeans, but I’ve always been a bit leery of wearing white jeans.

If you don’t get them right… They can go so wrong.

SIZE: White jeans make us look bigger than dark colored jeans so it’s important to get the right fit and proportions for our body type. Pay more attention to how they fit you than what size they are. Sometimes jeans, especially light colored ones, are more flattering if we go up in size.

STYLE: For a curvy figure, look for slim or straight-legged jeans that don’t hug everything too tightly. For a tummy, high-waist jeans reduces the chance of muffin top. Bootcut jeans are more flattering if you’re pear-shaped, and if you’re slim you might want to look at a slim “girlfriend jean.” Slouchy “boyfriend jeans” can make us look like a housepainter.

PAY ATTENTION TO THE FABRIC: Most of us don’t have a good view of our backside so we forget that white jeans, especially tight ones, have a tendency to show everything, including the cottage cheese on the back of our thighs, the crack in our derrière and the color of our underwear. Stay away from white jeans made from thin fabric, and jeans made from stretchy fabric (2% spandex is optimal) are especially prone to show everything.

HOW NOT TO LOOK BIGGER IN WHITE JEANS: Unless we’re very thin we need to think about the color and kind of tops or blazers we wear. Regardless of our figure type, dressing in a column of white is flattering and slimming on just about everyone. If you’re curvy you may want to wear lighter colored tops, and if you’re really curvy, you may want to go for a long, light colored top that covers part of your backside.

GREY & WHITE ARE GREAT TOGETHER: Something about a grey sweater or a grey top and grey sandals with some bling on top can really dress up a pair of white pants.

METALLICS & WHITE ARE FABULOUS: A pair of metallic, silver sandals or silver slip-on sneakers and a silver top can take white jeans to another level of chic!

KEEPING THEM WHITE: Before wearing them for the first time—double check the advisory tag on your jeans—spray them with Scotchgard. Only wear them once or twice between washings. Over wearing without washing can cause them to become dingy. Only wash them with other whites. If they become dingy-looking, before washing, soak them in warm water with a color safe bleach for 30 minutes.

Brenda’s Blog has been awarded one of the Top 10 Blogs for Women Over 50.

Brenda Coffee was a Journalist/Filmmaker and Board Member & Managing Consultant to a public company sold to Big Pharma. Her former BreastCancerSisterhood.com was repeatedly voted a Top Breast Cancer Blog. USAToday called her the Carrie Bradshaw of breast cancer and compared her dry, sassy wit to Erma Bombeck.

Brenda speaks at business and health conferences, the Texas Conference for Women and the Influencers at Midlife Summit. Yahoo asked her to speak about women over 45 to a Fortune 100, invitation only audience at Internet Week in NYC. She’s featured in numerous magazines; the book, Woman’s Wakeup: How to Shake Up Your Looks, Life and Love After 50, by Lois Joy Johnson, Founding Beauty Editor of MORE magazine and was in a commercial for BOOM, by Cindy Joseph.

20 Comments

Don’t iron them! Jeans shouldn’t have creases.
White jeans are a gazillion times better than most white pants, which can quickly take a chic person into dangerous Mrs. Thurston Howell/Love Boat waters. Cotton and linen tend to be thin and show undies unless the pants are very loose (and then they can look way too schlumpy). Jeans, with heavier fabric and back pockets, avoid that and you know Lovey would NEVER have been caught in jeans.

TOF, You’r’e hilarious!!! You really have me laughing here! I agree about the pressed jeans except when it comes to cowboys on a Saturday night when they put on their best pair of boots and take their lady dancing. I’m a Texas girl, and I love those guys! Lovey and her Mister would be so out of place there. xoxox, Brenda

Great post, Brenda, as always. I love my white jeans and now I’ll look at them with a more critical eye just to make sure they are flattering on me. My question is, does anyone pay attention to the rule about when you can wear white. I wear white before Easter and after Labor Day, but the image of my mother is always lurking in the background telling me, “Oh honey, that’s just not done!”

Lucy, “Oh, mother… It’s a different day and age and white jeans are always welcome.” I’m sure there are lots of older…. way older ladies who still think those of us wearing white jeans after Labor Day have no manners. Yesterday I wore white jeans to a memorial service for a dear friend. It was held in one of the wings of the art museum here in San Antonio. I had a pink faux suede coat over them, lots of silver and pearl long necklaces and Julie Vos bracelets and a pair of silver oxfords, and everyone kept telling me how I was the best dressed woman there. In white jeans no less!!! Yes, times have changed, mother. xoxox, Brenda

Still chuckling over your line “boyfriend jeans make us look like the house painter”! Reminds me of those carpenter style pants back in the 80’s, ha! I snagged the perfect pair of white flair lowrise Lucky jeans on Poshmark this week! They don’t make Charlie anymore so this is an awesome score as this style suits me perfectly. Good post, Brenda! xo

Great tips, Brenda! I’m a big fan of white jeans. It was probably the pant I wore the most last summer. Chances are the same will be true this spring/summer! I like your tip about washing them often. Thanks!

Joanna, Shopping for jeans is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done… every single time… and white just makes it even harder. I haven’t seen puckered seams on white jeans, but offhand I’d say they’re either cheaply made and/or the fabric is thin. Thanks! xoxox, Brenda

LOVE my white jeans!! I’ve given up on worrying about looking smaller, and am trying to concentrate on looking great!! I think white jeans really add pop to so many outfits!!
XOXO
Jodiehttp://www.jtouchofstyle.com

Hi Jodie, Always love seeing you here! I’m always drawn to women on IG wearing white jeans, plus there are so many ways to style them. Love your attitude about giving up on worrying about looking smaller. That’s smart, plus you don’t need to worry about that one! Thanks for adding to the conversation. xoxox, Brenda

Sorry, but I will never give up my iron! I don’t crease my jeans. but wrinkles look like you don’t care, didn’t have time or just got out of the house in a hurry!
I hang my jeans to dry, avoiding the dryer so that does make for wrinkles.

Great point, Debby! Wrinkles make you look sloppy and like you don’t care. It’s so easy to hang them up fresh out of the dryer or touch them up with an iron. I love that you hang yours up to dry and skip the dryer altogether! Thanks for that. Brenda